Review article

THE BORDERS OF (EU)ROPE

Dino Mihanović ; HR-10000 Zagreb, Marjanovićev prilaz 7, Croatia

Abstract

Whilst completing the largest enlargement round in its history,
European Union faced the need to define both its identity and nature
and limits of its future borders. In the aftermath of the failed constitutional referenda and suspension of the ratification process, the pace of future enlargement will inevitably slow down. This has already
been the case with the East European countries during the 1990s,
whose membership perspective was overclouded by Union’s internal
issues. Expansion of the EU will undoubtedly continue, but its present
absorption capacity has reached endpoint. The chance for the institutional reform, through which future enlargement would keep
momentum, has been discarded together with the rejection of Constitutional Treaty. The main issue of todays EU’s relations with immediate neighbourhood is the way to ensure democratic consolidation and Europeanisation of these states in absence of the full membership perspective. Upon that European Neighbourhood Policy was envisaged, through which EU offers “everything, but institutions”.

Keywords

European neighbourhood; Europeanisation; European borders; European Union

Hrčak ID:

20956

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20956

Publication date:

29.3.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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